The Risk: A Billionaire Romance (Wagered Hearts Series, Book 2) (2 page)

“Yikes, that bad?”

“No, not that bad,” I laughed. “You only think the worse cause you don’t like her.”

“She doesn’t like me either. In fact, I don’t think she likes anyone.”

“You’re probably right,” I said. “But she’s still my mom, and my boss for that matter, so don’t go putting ideas into my head.”

Lily shook her head. “I don’t know how you do it Mel. You know with your experience and talent you could get a much better job than as your mom’s indentured servant. I’m sure there are loads of publications that would love to snatch you up.”

“You only think that because you’re my friend. I’ve actually got a pretty coveted position. Despite what you think of her, my mother’s very good at what she does. I could learn a lot from her, and I need all the guidance I can get.”

Even as the words left my lips they sounded hollow and rehearsed. Lily looked at me sadly and didn’t say anything for a while. I wondered why I was always putting that expression on people’s faces lately. I couldn’t seem to do anything right. If I wasn’t scaring guys away, I was screwing up something at the office. And now Lily looked at me like I was ten steps away from throwing myself off the Empire State building.

“Chad must have done a number on you,” she finally said. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you Mel. You used to be so upbeat and positive. You were the one always giving me pep talks to get out there and take risks. Now you’re saying you’re grateful for the opportunity to take shit from your mom. It’s like we’ve traded positions.”

I shrugged my shoulders, not sure how to respond. My life was pretty pathetic looking at it from Lily’s perspective. “What can I say? Maybe I’ve finally learned my lesson. Life has kicked my butt one too many times and now I’m starting to get the picture.”

“You know you don’t mean that. Once you finally get Chad out of your system, you’ll be back good as new,” she said with forced cheerfulness.

“I’m completely over Chad. He’s not even a blip on my radar anymore,” I lied.

Lily shot me a disbelieving look, her eyebrow quirked up so high it disappeared behind her bangs.

“All right, maybe I’m not completely over him, but I’m getting there,” I lied again. “It helps that he’s in Dubai, half a world away.”

“Let him stay there,” I heard her mumble under her breath.

I didn’t really want to talk about Chad to Lily right now. I didn’t want to talk about Chad to anyone at all. It wasn’t that I was still pining for him, ok maybe a little, but it just hurt too much to think about. It’d already been three months. You’d think I’d be over it or at least clawing my way out of the rubble, but I still missed him. Or maybe it was the idea of him I missed; the fact that I didn’t have anyone to come home to or anyone to plan my future with.

“Listen Lily. I know you’re worried about me, but I’m fine, really.
This
—it’s just a phase. I’ll get over it like I always do. Hell, maybe I’ll meet a guy next week and forget Chad ever existed. But even if I don’t, you don’t have to worry about me. Just focus on your wedding, which by the way is happening in three months, and be happy.”

“I am happy; I just want you to be happy too.”

“I will be,” I said. “Maybe I’ll fall in love with one of the strippers I hire for your party,” I teased, trying to lighten the mood and steer the conversation away from my sad pathetic life.

Lily smacked my arm across the table and we burst into a fit of giggles. “Imagine what your mother would say if you brought home a stripper for her to meet,” she said before bursting into another fit of laughter.

“Stop! Don’t put that idea in my head. That’s all I’ll think about the next time I see her,” I said clutching my stomach.

“Mom, meet Dick Prickle,” Lily choked out. “Can you just picture her face?”

“Oh my God! You’ve got to stop,” I screeched. I doubled over and had a good long laugh. It felt nice to laugh and smile and be silly again. I couldn’t remember the last time I had felt that way.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at your mother the same way again,” Lily said.

“Thanks, I really needed that,” I said, wiping the tears from the corners of my eyes. “The next time she comes down hard on me, I’ll just imagine Dick Prickle giving her a lap dance. God, that name is just too fabulous. Dick Prickle. Sounds like some sort of venereal disease.”

“You know me, I’m always here to help,” she said.

We parted soon afterwards, her to her fabulous life with her loving fiancé, and me back to my lonely apartment. I shook my head, angry with myself at the turn my thoughts were taking. I should be happy for Lily. I was happy for Lily. She deserved every good thing that came her way. After the hell she had been through with Roman, it was nice to see her get her happily ever after. I just needed to suck it up and get out of my funk.

“Right this way, sir. If you’ll follow me.”

The maître d’ shuffled in front of me before lifting his nose in the air and stiffening his spine to begin his procession across the club. I walked behind him, trying hard not to roll my eyes.

Even though I’d been a member of the exclusive Bolo club for several years, I still felt uncomfortable coming here. It was one of those private social clubs for the rich and connected, and full of uptight snobs who looked down their noses at people like me. Or at least the person I used to be before I came into my fortune.

The only reason I had even applied for membership was due to Roman’s urging. He’d said business deals were struck in places like this instead of the board rooms, and if I wanted to play with the big boys, I had to go where they went. So that’s what I did. Even with Roman and his cousin Rob’s sponsorship, it still took several months before I was finally accepted.

We passed by several tables and I nodded at familiar faces, but didn’t stop to chat with anyone. Despite my current location, it was good to be back in New York. After spending the past two years in Asia, New York felt like coming home again. Everything was exactly the same and yet so different.

When my friend Roman phoned me to tell me he was getting married, I thought he was joking at first. The fact that he was able to stay with the same woman for more than two months straight was surprising enough, but to actually go and make the plunge and decide to marry her? That seemed out of character for him. I had to see in person if this was real or just some elaborate joke.

The maître d’ arrived at our destination, and gave me a stiff nod before heading back to the front of the club. Roman and Rob were engrossed in a lively conversation so they didn’t notice my entrance. I bent down low so that I was right about ear level with them and shouted, “Boo!”

They both jumped up startled and I couldn’t hold back the laugh as I saw their surprised faces. Rob had spilled his whisky on the front of his shirt and he cursed as he tried to dry himself off.

“Was that really necessary?” Roman asked.

“Of course it was. You don’t think I’d pass up an opportunity to make you cry like a little girl, do you?”

“It was hardly that,” Rob interjected. “I wouldn’t call screaming in someone’s ears exactly clever.”

“It wasn’t meant to be clever, Robbie. It was meant to startle you, and judging from that wet spot on your shirt, I accomplished my goal.”

“Prick,” Rob mumbled under his breath.

“Are you two going to bicker all night? Because I’ve got better things to do,” Roman said in a bored tone.

“Is this the welcome I get?” I said, looking from Roman to Rob.

“If you’d been a little more civilized and mature in your entrance maybe you’d have gotten a different reception,” Rob said.

“Guys, I’ve been away for two years,” I said.

“Don’t blame us for your self-exile. No one told you to go chasing—what was her name? Nori?” Roman said.

“No, it was Mari,” Rob added.

“It was Mariko and for the record, it was love,” I said.

“So, then what happened?” Roman asked.

I shrugged my shoulders as I poured out a glass of whisky for myself. “We fell out of love,” I said, simply.

“You’re hopeless,” Roman replied.

I looked up, the surprise evident on my face. “You really have changed,” I said.

“Don’t even get me started on it, Ryan. Sometimes I wonder if he’s been possessed by my mother. All he can talk about is marriage and love. It’s pretty disgusting,” Rob said.

“When you two meet the right person, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about,” Roman said.

“Don’t hold your breath Cuz. I have no intention of settling down anytime soon,” Rob said.

“What about you Ryan?” Roman asked, turning towards me.

I shook my head. “We can’t all be lucky like you. Good women are hard to come by,” I answered.

That much was true. Then again, I wasn’t in a particular hurry to get married either.

“You’ve been looking in the wrong places. Trust me, I’ve been there and I know the type of women you go for. Hell, they were the same types I used to date,” Roman said. “It’s not like you’re getting any younger.”

“Please don’t tell me you’re actually going to lecture me on my love life,” I said. “Rob’s right. You’re sounding like an old woman more and more.”

“Exactly!” Rob chimed in. “I swear, my mother won’t leave me alone now that Roman’s finally settling down. And if you even mention to her how happy you are to be getting married, I’ll kill you,” he added.

Roman laughed and sipped his drink, eyeing Rob and I over the top of the glass. He wore a smug smile, seeming to be very satisfied with himself. “Suit yourselves. I’ve got better things to do with my time anyways,” he said.

“So tell me about her then. It’s obvious she makes you happy.”

“She’s perfect,” Roman said. He wore a dreamy, almost goofy grin on his face and I had to fight to keep from dropping my drink. In all the 15 years that I’d known Roman, he never lost his head over a girl before. He was always so cool and aloof, not really caring if they stayed or left. To see him now, practically mooning over someone was a shock indeed.

“I see,” I finally said. “I guess I’ll meet her soon enough at the party and see what type of person has finally tamed the notorious Roman Conrad.”

“You will. So tell me, how long are you going to be staying for?” Roman asked.

“The move is permanent. I’ve no desire to go gallivanting around the world chasing pretty faces any more. I think it’s time I put down some roots and settle. Don’t go getting ideas,” I added quickly seeing the look on Roman’s face. “I meant living wise, not relationship wise. Besides, I’m sure New York has an abundance of beautiful women. I won’t be getting bored anytime soon.”

“You’ll get bored with it eventually. Everyone does,” Roman said.

“Speak for yourself,” Rob chimed in.

Roman shrugged his shoulders and let the argument drop. I sat back and observed all this with surprise. Love had really changed him. He was almost mellow. I had been prepared to feel sorry for him, being forced to be leg shackled to only one person for the rest of his life, but now I was almost starting to envy him a little. Thankfully, the feeling was short lived. Rob brought up stories about our past and we spent the rest of the night recounting some of the more outrageous scraps we found ourselves in. By the time I made it home that night, I had already forgotten that little pang of envy.

I arrived half an hour late to Lily and Roman’s engagement party. My mother had kept me at the office going over the guest list again for the magazine’s 45th anniversary party. I wasn’t even supposed to be working this weekend, but that didn’t stop my mother from phoning me up at 7 am with her “emergency” staff meeting.

I finally put my foot down, and left just before the party was supposed to start. I was glad I had the foresight to dress up to the office since I didn’t have a chance to go home and change.

Like Lily had said, the party was very small and intimate and I recognized several familiar faces. Miguel and Doris, her employees from the bookshop, were standing together by the bar and I made my way over to them, in need of a stiff drink.

“Hey guys,” I said, coming up to them.

“Mel!” Doris said delightedly as she threw her arms around me. “Lily’s been looking for you.”

“Oh yeah?” I said, feeling slightly guilty. “I got stuck at the office today.”

“You don’t have to explain to me,” she said.

“This is a pretty swanky party, no?” Miguel asked.

“It’s about what I expected. Where is Lily?” I asked.

“Not sure. Last I saw she was with Roman, chatting to some older couple,” Miguel said.

My eyes continued to scan the room when I was brought up short by the most handsome man I’d ever laid eyes on, and that was saying something since I’d seen my fair share of men. There was no other way to describe it. He was quite simply a hunk. He was tall, easily over 6’ and towered over most everyone in the room, with an athletically graceful physique and broad shoulders. He had sandy blonde hair that was combed back from his face, and a square jaw line. What was most striking was his killer smile. It was the kind of smile that came easily and always got him what he wanted. And judging by the small gaggle of females crowded around him, he had no problems in that department.

“He’s a tall drink of water, isn’t he?” Doris said, standing beside me. I looked over at her and lifted my brow. “What? I may be old, but I’m not dead,” she said.

“Old enough to be his mother,” I teased. “Do you know who he is?”

“No idea,” Doris said. “Why don’t you go over there and find out?”

The smile slipped from my face. I had no intention of going over and finding out who that man was. It was easy to see he was trouble. After years of jumping in head first, I’d finally learned caution. The old Mel wouldn’t have hesitated to walk on over and introduce herself and flirt shamelessly with an attractive man. The new Mel knew better. That path led to nothing but heartbreak and disappointment.

“Sorry sweetie. I forgot about you and Chad,” Doris said giving me a sympathetic look.

“Don’t worry about it Doris. I’m over Chad,” I said. I figured if I said it enough times, it might start being true.